Final answer:
Whether a bridged network is faster than a non-bridged one depends on various factors including traffic management and collision domains. A WiFi range booster's effectiveness is determined not by speed but by its ability to extend the signal coverage, as would be indicated by a researcher's tests comparing the ranges of routers with and without the booster.
Step-by-step explanation:
The question of whether a bridged network is generally faster than a non-bridged network relates to the purpose and configuration of network devices. A bridge in networking is used to segment and manage the traffic within a network by dividing it into two or more segments, which can improve the performance in certain scenarios. Generally, a bridged network could be faster because it can reduce network traffic on each segment, limit collision domains, and improve management of the network. However, the actual speed can vary based on a plethora of factors, including the quality of the network devices used, the network setup, and the bandwidth requirements of the network.
In the context of a WiFi range booster, bridging is not directly related to the functionality provided by these devices. The range booster does not inherently speed up the network but instead extends the coverage area of the WiFi signal. To determine if the new WiFi range booster does a better job, one must look at the results from the researcher's experiment. If the boosted ranges for the 12 different routers are significantly greater than the ranges without the range booster under the same conditions, then it can be concluded that the range booster is effective in performing its intended function.